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This study analyses the avoidable mortality in Poland at the regional level of 16 voivodships over the last two decades, 1991–2010. The author divided the mortality causes into three groups: treatable disease, preventable diseases and ischemic heart disease. We used a decomposition technique to calculate the contribution of changes in mortality from these conditions to changes in life expectancy between birth and age 75 for the two periods 1991–2000 and 2000–2010 by sex and age group. The analyses were based on temporary life expectancy between birth and age 75 (e0–75). Chiang's method was used for constructing abridged life tables, and Arriaga's method was used for decomposition. The results revealed differences in the temporary life expectancy level and pace of change between voivodships, causes of deaths and sex.

From the preface: This book presents data on mortality from recorded causes of death in 180 populations, with detail provided on age and sex. This volume should reduce substantially problems of data availability by providing information on mortality experience spanning a period of 103 years, for 48 nations, and encompassing a range of life expectancies from 27 to 77. The data will assist the social scientist in documenting such matters as the sources of the vital revolution, causes of increasing sex mortality differentials, components of age curves of mortality, geographic and temporal variations in mortality structure, and economic and social costs of a disease.

OBJECTIVE: A standard list for ranking leading causes of death worldwide does not exist. WHO headquarters, regional offices and Member States all use different lists that have varying levels of detail. We sought to derive a standard list to enable countries to identify their leading causes of death and to permit comparison between countries. Our aim is to share the criteria and methodology we used to bring some order to the construction of such a list, to provide a consistent procedure that can be used by others, and to give researchers and data owners an opportunity to utilize the list at national and subnational levels. METHODS: Results were primarily data-driven. Data from individual countries representing different regions of the world were extracted from the WHO Mortality Database. Supplementary information from WHO estimates on mortality was used for regions where data were scarce. In addition, a set of criteria was used to group the candidate causes and to determine other causes that should be included on the list. FINDINGS: A ranking list of the leading causes of death that contains broad cause groupings (such as "all cancers", "all heart diseases" or "all accidents") is not effective and does not identify the leading individual causes within these broad groupings; thus it does not allow policy-makers to generate appropriate health advocacy and cost-effective interventions. Similarly, defining candidate causal groups too narrowly or including diseases that have a low frequency does not meet these objectives. CONCLUSION: For international comparisons, we recommend that countries use this list; it is based on extensive evidence and the application of public health disease-prevention criteria. It is not driven by political or financial motives. This list may be adapted for national statistical purposes.